Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 962

The old man looked Han Li up and down, hesitating whether to stop him.

“Are you suggesting I fight you instead of him?”

The green-haired alien, enraged, glared at Han Li, then suddenly struck out with a palm covered in green fur. It seemed he had mastered some technique, as his palm grew larger as it flew, flashing yellow as it bore down on Han Li.

“Cultivator Han, be careful!”

The old man warned in surprise. An ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would have been helpless against such an attack. But Han Li’s body was not so easily overwhelmed by this level of pressure.

He smirked as he felt the wind pressure from the descending yellow palm. Then, from Han Li’s sleeve, a jet-black hand moved. A gray, giant hand solidified, attempting to seize the yellow palm in return.

“You dare to challenge me in strength? Kneel!”

The green-haired alien roared fiercely. He was already channeling the power of a seven-star technique into his yellow palm, now frantically pouring in even more power. His intention was to crush Han Li to the ground with a single blow.

The yellow palm grew much larger and collided with the gray giant hand. A moment later, something no one had predicted occurred.

Instead of a loud crash, there was a ‘pop’ sound, and the yellow palm crumbled and vanished powerlessly. Then, the gray giant hand appeared eerily above the green-haired alien and descended silently.

Even before the giant hand touched him, the gray light of the Primal Origin Divine Light surged forth.

“Impossible!”

The alien was furious that his divine power had been completely shattered and that his opponent had retaliated in the same way. He clenched his fists and swung them at the gray light in the air.

Yellow fist phantoms shot out.

Thump!

A small explosion was heard, and the yellow fist phantoms melted into the gray light. The green-haired alien was horrified and immediately tried to use a teleportation technique to escape, but the gray energy was already right in front of him.

The green-haired alien’s spiritual power froze, preventing him from teleporting. Then, the gray giant hand descended.

“Gasp!”

The green-haired alien’s vision went dark, and he gasped for breath. An unbearable weight pressed down on his shoulders.

Thud!

The green-haired alien couldn’t withstand it and buckled, one knee hitting the floor. But the gray giant hand continued to press down on his protective barrier, not letting up.

The green-haired alien’s pale face turned bright red. It was unclear whether it was from overexerting his energy or from humiliation.

The entire third floor fell deathly silent at the sight.

“……!”

Both locals and outsiders were shocked by the unexpected turn of events. The old man looked pleased, while the alien from the Gyu clan narrowed his eyes. The Jeongjok woman, Seomseom, also had a complicated expression.

They knew Han Li was skilled, but they were taken aback to see him subdue an opponent two levels higher in one move. Woljong was also quite surprised, staring blankly at Han Li, his mouth agape.

Han Li, unconcerned with the gazes of others, looked down at the green-haired alien, who was half-kneeling.

‘Hmm….’

Even while being pressed down by the gray giant hand, the opponent was sending him a furious glare. Soon, the green-haired alien’s protective barrier flickered, and he began to try to rise.

Han Li’s lips curled into a sneer. He flipped his black palm, and a black mountain appeared eerily, plummeting towards the green-haired alien.

Wham!

The seemingly unremarkable black mountain shattered the green-haired alien’s protective barrier and slammed down on the kneeling opponent.

Rumble-

As the mountain grew larger, the green-haired alien beneath it gradually disappeared from view. The floor and walls of the building, which had been shaking precariously, suddenly emitted a white light, and magical runes swirled before returning to their original state.

The building’s restrictions had absorbed the aftermath of the fight.

“Now, can I be the third option?”

Han Li asked calmly, looking at the green-haired alien buried under the black mountain. It would have been difficult to subdue a top-tier Nascent Soul cultivator in a short time without using some of his trump cards.

But fortunately, the alien had trusted his sturdy body and engaged in a power struggle with him in a confined space, allowing Han Li to subdue him easily. With his immense strength and mastery of the Universal Devilish Art, it was only natural that Han Li would win.

The Gyu clan man’s face flushed crimson as he watched Han Li easily subdue the green-haired alien. The stench of blood grew stronger around him as he slowly walked towards Han Li.

The palace-attired woman and others around him tensed up, their expressions stiff. If he was approaching so nonchalantly even after seeing Han Li’s strength, it meant he had something to rely on.

The old man also narrowed his eyes, watching the Gyu clan man closely. Only Han Li remained calm, simply looking at the Gyu clan man. A palpable tension filled the air.

“Cultivators, please collect your treasures. Fighting within the Thundercloud Pavilion is prohibited. If you wish to test your skills, please move to the arena in the village. If you do not comply, all cultivators involved in the fight will be disqualified from entering the Magma Mountain Range.”

A stern voice came from the entrance to the fourth-floor stairs. At those words, Han Li raised an eyebrow, and the Gyu clan man stopped walking.

“That is the newly appointed ‘Manager Min.’ Cultivator Han, you should collect your treasure.”

The old man said hastily. At this, Han Li snorted, looking at the green-haired alien buried under the mountain, and raised his hand. The black mountain then vanished like bubbles in the gray energy.

The green-haired alien jumped up, his face flushed with anger, and tried to spew yellow light from his mouth.

“Stop! He is not someone you can handle, come back.”

Unexpectedly, the Gyu clan man ordered the green-haired alien, who was of the same rank.

“I was caught off guard. This humiliation…”

The green-haired alien, his face bright red, did not concede.

“So, are you saying I’m wrong?”

The Gyu clan man’s voice was as cold as ice. The green-haired alien’s heart sank, and he snapped back to his senses.

“Ah, no, sir.”

The green-haired alien glared fiercely at Han Li and returned to his seat with a sullen expression.

“If you won’t give up Cultivator Wol, then so be it. I hear you’re not aiming for the Zhixian anyway, so we won’t clash in the Magma Mountain Range. I have no intention of wasting time and spiritual power on a pointless fight. However, if you interfere with my plans again, I will not let it slide.”

The Gyu clan man warned and returned to his seat. Han Li did not lose his smile despite the threat.

The old man and Woljong were relieved that the situation had been resolved. The palace-attired woman smiled at Han Li and was about to say something when Manager Min’s voice came from the stairs.

“Cultivators below the eighth and ninth level of Seongjok [a cultivation stage] must take the passage test to enter the Magma Mountain Range. We will take two at a time.”

Manager Min’s announcement caused a stir among those gathered. They looked at each other, forming pairs, and soon two people went up the stairs and disappeared from view.

The first cultivators to take the test were neither from the old man’s side nor the Gyu clan man’s. Those who hesitated and missed their chance were regretting it.

In any case, there was no harm in quickly receiving the Thunderclap Mountain and entering the Magma Mountain Range first. The remaining people listened intently to what was happening above, but they couldn’t sense anything due to the restrictions.

Half an hour passed since the passage test began, and finally, the sound of footsteps descending the stairs was heard. Soon, a cultivator with torn clothes and scattered bloodstains walked down.

“Cultivator Chuk, did you pass the passage test? What about the Thunderclap Mountain?”

One of the outsiders stood up and asked.

“I did pass. But they said they would take back the Thunderclap Mountain if I revealed the details of the test. Also, those who receive the Thunderclap Mountain must leave the Thundercloud Pavilion immediately. I’ll be going now.”

The man hurried down the stairs. A moment later, the other person came down the fourth-floor stairs with his head bowed. Unlike the previous cultivator, he had no injuries, but his expression was dark. He also went down the stairs without saying anything.

“Two more, come up!”

Manager Min urged from the top of the stairs as everyone was looking around.

Han Li looked around and, seeing no one else moving, smiled and stood up. He headed towards the stairs, and a voice followed him.

“There’s no need to rush, Cultivator. You can wait a bit longer before going up.”

Han Li knew who it was without turning around and said,

“I’ve prepared for the test, so you don’t need to worry.”

Seomseom’s clear voice echoed in his ear.

“Then I was worried for nothing.”

Han Li smiled and went up the stairs, and Seomseom followed with a relaxed expression. At the entrance to the fourth-floor stairs, a faint red light barrier was spread out.

As they passed through the light barrier, their vision brightened, and a space dyed in navy blue appeared. The walls and floor all seemed to be made of navy blue crystals, sparkling. On one side of the space, a white formation was spread out, and someone stood at its center, observing Han Li and Seomseom.

A stern-looking man in scholar’s robes stood there, holding a yellow book and a golden formation disc. He was a top-tier Nascent Soul cultivator.

“Cultivator, you’ve come up.”

“Do you know me?”

Han Li asked with a smile at the scholar’s words.

“I didn’t before, but how could I not know after you showed off your skills downstairs? To overwhelm a ninth-level cultivator with force, you are truly impressive.”

“You flatter me. May I take the passage test?”

“Haha, what’s the point of you taking the passage test with your skills?”

The scholar burst out laughing. Both Han Li and Seomseom were surprised at his words.

“Why is that? Is it rumored that I have a rigid personality? I’m not that inflexible. It’s absurd for a cultivator like you to take the passage test when even eighth and ninth-level beings are exempt. Take the Thunderclap Mountain!”

The yellow book the scholar was holding flashed, and a silver light flew out. What Han Li caught in his hand was a small but intricately made umbrella. Its surface was covered with densely packed magical runes.

“You must perform a master recognition of the Thunderclap Mountain in my presence. This is to prevent it from being sold or stolen by others. It can only be used for one month after master recognition, so you must leave the mountain range within that month. If you stay longer, you may be eroded by demonic energy and become a demon.”

Manager Min diligently carried out his duties, explaining everything carefully.

“Thank you for the advice.”

Han Li nodded, threw the umbrella into the air, and spat out a mouthful of essence blood. The essence blood he spat out turned into a blood-colored mist and seeped into the umbrella.

Whoosh-

The silver umbrella grew in size, and the magical runes were dyed blood-red. The blood color faded, and the umbrella returned to its original state, falling into Han Li’s hand. The master recognition was completed in an instant.

“……!”

Manager Min looked surprised but quickly regained his composure and turned his gaze to Seomseom.

“The Jeongjok descendant’s cultivation is not bad. The Magma Mountain Range is a dangerous place where you could lose your life. Do you still want to go in?”

“I appreciate your kindness, senior, but I have a reason why I must enter the Magma Mountain Range. I would like to take the passage test.”

Seomseom bowed to Manager Min and answered firmly.

“If your will is so firm, there’s no need to stop you. You can choose one of two options for the passage test. Endure the illusion formation for half an hour or defeat two puppets.”

“I will choose the first option, the illusion formation.”

Seomseom answered without hesitation, as if she knew the details to some extent, as she had said before coming up.

“Step forward three steps from there.”

Manager Min nodded, and Seomseom moved towards the formation on the floor. Han Li was about to examine the formation when Manager Min issued an order to leave.

“Cultivator, you may go down. I ask that you refrain from discussing the test.”

“Understood. I’ll be going then.”

Han Li nodded and walked towards the stairs. As he entered the stairwell, the restrictions were immediately activated. He glanced back and saw the formation on the floor emitting white energy, enveloping the Jeongjok woman and Manager Min.

He was curious about what kind of test it would be, but he immediately passed through the light barrier and went down the stairs. The people waiting on the third floor all scanned him. He smiled and went downstairs without saying anything.